Isaac, Six-Toed Cats, and Hemingway

What do you call a cat that has six toes?

My vote is Bigfoot, but really the Greek name for a cat with more than five toes is called a polydactyl cat. Most cats have five toes per paw totaling a number of 18 toes. But these cool cats with their huge paws usually have 6 plus toes per paw. In fact, Jake, a Canadian ginger tabby cat holds the Guinness book of world records for the most toes on a cat; 28 toes!!  Go Jake!

Polydactyl cats are also known as Hemingway cats. The famous writer Ernest Hemingway was a huge fan of polydactyl cats.  In the 1930s, a sea captain gave Hemingway a six-toed cat whom Hemingway named Snow White.  That kitten lived at Hemingway’s Key West home where she mothered many more polydactyl cats.  According to the Mother Nature Network, there are about 40 to 50 polydactyl cats living at the Hemingway House and Museum that are descendants of Snow White.  In fact, they even receive veterinarian care and are protected by the Historical Society.

Ernest Hemingway wasn’t the only famous historical figure with one of these six-toed cats.  President Theodore Roosevelt’s kitty was a polydactyl cat.  Slippers was one of the first cats to make The White House its’ residence.

Why do cats have more than five toes?

It’s a genetic mutation passed down from one parent who holds the dominant gene for polydactylism.

Thankfully the gene is harmless to a cat.  However, it can make trimming toenails difficult. And, in my opinion, it makes it easier for the cat to hunt. A polydactyl cat has big strong paws. I wouldn’t want to be a poor mouse with a seven-toed paw ready to clamp down on me! In fact, sailors used to say polydactyl cats were good luck! They thought the cat’s extra toes gave them good balance on the ships. Many sailors also felt these bigfoot cats were superior mouse hunters! I think they were on to something.

In fact, I personally know of one such polydactyl supreme mouser!

Meet Isaac!

Isaac lives with my parents in Jacksonville, Oregon. He is a black and white tuxedo cat with six toes on each paw! Isaac is a big boy!   He loves to eat and hunt.  In fact, there was a time when this big boy brought a dead mouse in the house and left it under my dad’s piano on a daily basis. The house my parents lived in at the time had a huge field in the back full of mice and other critters; making it a predators’ playground! I always figured he had an advantage with those massive paws.  Turns out I was right!!

Not only is Isaac an excellent mouser, but he is also an absolute love!  If Hemmingway’s cats were anything like Isaac, then I understand why he had such an affinity for them.  Isaac is such a social guy! He’s kind of everyone’s cat. Instead of favoring just one master, he likes all humans!

My husband is a huge fan of Isaacs! He always says, “He’s a man’s cat.”

Do you hear that Isaac?

Isaac also really likes other cats!  He has two buddies in the neighborhood who enjoy coming in and hanging out with him. One of their neighbors even takes pictures of Isaac and posts them on social media.  This guy knows how to get around!  He is also an excellent cuddler, and every time I visit my parents he wants to be where all the action is. That’s usually the living room. Isaac finds the most comfortable spot on the rug and flops in front of the fire while everybody visits. He loves to be around people!!

We love to be around you too bigfoot!

In conclusion, polydactyl cats are pretty cool!  Do any of you have stories about these six-toed cats? I’m curious if they have similar personalities to Isaac. Please share in the comments if you know a polydactyl cat. I’d love to hear from you!

Sources:

http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/polydactyl-cats-the-felines-with-extra-toes

https://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/11-thing-didnt-know-polydactyl-cats